Bel Air is a town and the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 10,661.
The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area in northeast Maryland in which Bel Air is the principal settlement: the Bel Air–Aberdeen urban area had a population of 214,647 as of the 2020 census, making it the 180th most populous in the United States.
Into the 1950s, the town hosted horse racing at Bel Air Racetrack, which stood where the Harford Mall is today.
The Bel Air Armory, Bel Air Courthouse Historic District, Broom's Bloom, D. H. Springhouse, Dibb House, Graham-Crocker House, Graystone Lodge, Harford Furnace Historic District, Harford National Bank, Hays House, Hays-Heighe House, Heighe House, Joshua's Meadows, Liriodendron, Mount Adams, Norris-Stirling House, Odd Fellows Lodge, Priest Neal's Mass House and Mill Site, Proctor House, Thomas Run Church, Tudor Hall, The Vineyard, and Woodview are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate
Bel Air lies within the humid subtropical climate zone. Bel Air features hot, often humid summers, mild, wet springs, pleasant falls and cool to chilly winters. The average precipitation for Bel Air is around 40-43 inches while snowfall averages 19–24 inches.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Bel Air had a population of 10,661. The median age was 40.2 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.2 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,711 households in Bel Air, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.6% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Culture
Bel Air includes one of Maryland's 24 designated arts and entertainment districts. The district consists of 99 acres, which includes most of the city's downtown. It is used for concerts, art galleries, and other venues and events.
Publications
The Aegis is the main daily print news publication for Bel Air and surrounding Harford County.
Bel Air News and Views is a popular online community news publication started in 2006.
Government
Bel Air is governed by a Council-Manager form of government. It is led by a five-member Board of Town Commissioners. The Board appoints a Town Administrator, who is responsible for the daily functions of municipal government. The chair of the Board, elected by its members each year, is given the ceremonial title of Mayor of Bel Air.
All five Bel Air Town Commissioners are Republicans, though municipal elections are officially nonpartisan.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Commissioner
!Party
!Term began
!Term ends
|-
|Paula Etting, Chair
|Republican
|2021
|2025
|-
|Steve Chizmar, Vice Chair
|Republican
|2023
|2027
|-
|Mary Chance
|Republican
|2021
|2025
|-
|Jim Rutledge
|Republican
|2023
|2027
|-
|Jake Taylor
|Republican
|2023
|2027
|}
Education
Local public schools are administered by the Harford County Public Schools.
Notable people
- John Archer, United States representative and physician, recipient of first medical diploma issued in United States, from what is now University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; 1741–1810
- Lisa Aukland, professional bodybuilder and powerlifter
- Andrew Berry, professional football manager
- Austin Brinkman, NFL long snapper for the Houston Texans
- Elijah Bond, inventor of the ouija board
- Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth and son of Junius Brutus Booth; considered one of the great Shakespearean actors of the 1800s
- John Wilkes Booth, American stage actor and assassin of President Abraham Lincoln
- Augustus Bradford, 32nd Governor of Maryland, 1862–1866
- Richard Chizmar, New York Times bestselling author, publisher and editor of Cemetery Dance magazine, and the owner of Cemetery Dance Publications
- Pat Healey, midfielder for Crystal Palace Baltimore and Baltimore Blast
- Julienne Irwin, America's Got Talent finalist, singer
- Chase Kalisz, swimmer, gold medalist at 2020 Summer Olympics
- Howard Atwood Kelly, pioneering gynecologist, one of "big four" founding staff members of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Kimmie Meissner, figure skating Olympian, 2006 World Champion and 2007 U.S. Champion
- Melvin Mora, former Baltimore Orioles player, lived in Bel Air
- Herman Stump, Congressman; U.S. Commissioner-General of Immigration under President Grover Cleveland
- Drew Westervelt, professional lacrosse player for Chesapeake Bayhawks and Colorado Mammoth
- Jay Witasick, MLB pitcher
- Brandon Scott Jones, American actor on Ghosts (CBS)